Friday, July 7, 2017

A Brief Discussion On the Cost/Benefit of Discipleship

FROM whom great things are required,
boundless rewards are offered, if the One who makes the rules is just. That is
what every disciple of Jesus Christ has agreed, by faith, is the case. But we
inevitably fall short. And still the rewards are unfathomably good:

“Anyone who
counts the cost of discipleship has completely failed to grasp the greatness of
the reward.”

— Francis
Wright Beare

And yet discipleship — to follow Christ; with persistence and perseverance; growing in faith and repentance; all the years of our lives — demands everything we have and all
that we are. A cost no less than this bears heavily on the graveness of the
decision we first made; the ignorant precedent-for-faith that cast the die for the
thousands of decisions to come; or, the fully-informed and well-intentioned
decision made by the unction of the Holy Spirit.

Consider the fact that with each decision there’s the continual threat of our
unfaithfulness.

And yet none of that matters, because of what Christ has done. None of our
obedience matters, due the grace of God that saves us, yet it all matters, because we’re saved by
grace through faith; not works per
se, but true faith is visible through the fruit we bear.

Jesus’ parable of the sower in Matthew 13
confirms it. Only the seed sown in good soil produces a crop that manifests abundantly,
one hundred, sixty, and thirtyfold yields.

The desire to be fruitful connects with discipleship.
Belief in the ends secures the means.

Discipleship is not seen as a cost for the person who’s had their
heart transformed.

That’s the fundamental difference and benefit
between God’s seed sown in good soil versus His seed sown on the rock-hard
path, in rocky ground or thorny soil.

The cost
of discipleship is in so many ways only a consideration for those who are still
wrestling with the benefit of
discipleship. Yet, if we’re honest with ourselves, we’ll admit we never have
our relationship with Christ so much together as to never count the cost. The
fact is discipleship does cost. Perseverance is always required; to the end
(Matthew 24:13).

We count that cost most when life is
especially tough — when we’re growing most in Christ. Yet, there’s also a time
when we’re humble enough to thrive on tests because we don’t consider ourselves
better than for testing. But pride is known to rise, and counting the cost is
normative for our writhing flesh.

A disciple of Jesus is someone who knows who
they are, in Christ, but also in reality. They keep both truths in the
forefront of their mind. They treasure both truths in their heart. That
knowledge convicts them, because who they
are about is holiness and sin. It convicts them toward change and
transformation because of the Holy Spirit.

Thankfulness when life is Disbelief
-
WHEN you’re overwhelmed of feeling, you don’t have enough minutes in the
day, be thankful you have no shortage of purpose.
When life has you cornered, ever...

3 days ago

Steve Wickham (Author Page)

My Ezine-Articles

My Passion... a work in progress.

Have you ever thought much about the purpose of your life? (The message to the meaning of life is more urgent than I first thought.)
sIt is to reconcile the inner discord within every single one of us. Most of us are actually somewhat blind to this. We search for peace almost everywhere but often miss the actual source.
sIt’s about God. It’s about relationship. It’s about growing passionately toward God, worshipping Him via the things we think, say and do -- a commitment for the rest of our lives. At its essence, this involves a continual process of learning.

My Specific Call

My key passion is upholding a vision of life balance and re-creation of value for living, and an exploration of the spiritual person within us. As an advocate for a fair, right and just life, I have a passion for Biblical wisdom, including the Psalms.